Sunday, October 23, 2011

Zendikar: In the Teeth of Akoum - Chapter 20

Mudheel tells Nissa that they're on the wrong path. He tells her that he misses her and that he didn't want to push those boulders that almost hit her, but Smara told him to. She told him to eliminate Sorin and she was nearly collateral damage. Nissa doesn't know that she can trust him, and doesn't know if she should believe that she should take the right fork up ahead like he suggests.

Mudheel continues on trying to convince her to listen. He doesn't want her to die. When he tells her that there are brood lineage like she's never seen before, she's a bit skeptical because she's seen no sign of any such thing and only becomes more mistrustful of his words. Trying a different approach he tells her that he's not sure if Smara can control whatever it is that's going to break free. Even though Sorin wants to keep them trapped, he knows that both Anowon and her do not. And if things go bad, Nissa's proven herself to be strong against the Eldrazi spawn, so maybe she'll be strong against the Eldrazi as well.

Nissa goes back to camp and sleeps.

The next day the reach the fork that Mudheel told her about. Nissa tells them that they need to take the right, more perilous looking fork without telling the other two why she thinks that's the better path. Sorin thinks that just nonsense, but before they can argue much longer two flying brood and three of the type with the bonier heads advance on them from the more inviting path, brood lineage larger than any they've ever seen before.

Sorin immediately begins singing his song of rot, Anowon comes armed with a bampha stick he took from the deceased Biss, and Nissa whips our her stem sword and begins slicing away. A couple more appear just as the first wave is cut down and the final creature takes considerable effort to take down, but our heroes eventually win out.

They hurry on down the path Nissa suggested earlier which leads to a long gully, ready to move on before the encounter more.

At the top of the gulley they stopped and surveyed. Ahead the small canyon dipped and narrowed, so the talus and scree channeled down into the black maw of a large erosion hole.

"This is the very entrance," Sorin said. "This is where I stood long ago, dreaming this prison to life with the others."

Anowon spit into the rocks at his feet. "After you meted out pain and anguish to my people, abuse that has lasted for generations, then you imprisoned the very empire you helped?"

Sorin turned to Anowon. "I was charged with containing them. And I only gave your people what they deserved tenfold."

Anowon rose up, a snarl curling the corner of his lip. Sorin took a step back and dropped one hand to the pommel of his great sword, his own lips curled back off his fangs.

Nissa suddenly tells the two to stop arguing with an urgency that gets them to listen. Up above are ten lava drakes perched upon a huge crystal. Sorin tells then he can't use up any more of his energy because everything he has left is needed for the containment spell. No one has any good ideas, but with the entrance to the Eye of Ugin, the plan is to run.

* * *

Muheel, The Sneaky

The beginning of the chapter with Mudheel was quite enjoyable. I actually wasn't sure if Mudheel was telling the truth about which path to take, or if it was all a ruse because the boulders had failed. Tell the truth to get past Nissa's defenses to try to finish off the orders that Smara gave to him.

Anowon vs Sorin

This is the first time we've seen Anowon openly challenge Sorin. We've had several occurrences where Sorin has told Nissa that he's had to restrain Anowon from feeding on her, and we've seen him bound as "proof" of Sorin's words, but this is the first time we've actually seen the lowly vampire openly challenge the great Mortifier. Considering how much Anowon seems to disdain him now that we know how other vampires feel about him, it's surprising we haven't seen that happen earlier.